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Objective Story Benchmark

Type

the standard by which progress is measured in the Objective Story

The Objective Story Benchmark is the gauge that tells people how far along the story has progressed. It can't say how much longer the story may go, but in regards to seeing how far away the goal is, both the Objective Story Characters and the audience will look to the benchmark in order to make any kind of judgment. This Type item describes the nature of the measuring stick which will be used in the story.

Objective Story Catalyst

Variation

the item whose presence always pushes the Objective Story forward

The Objective Story Catalyst is what creates breakthroughs and seems to accelerate the development of the Objective Story. In both the Objective and Subjective Stories there occur dramatic "log-jams" when things seem to be approaching a halt. This is when the Catalyst is necessary, for its introduction will either solve the puzzle that's holding things up or else make the puzzle seem suddenly unimportant so the story can continue.

Objective Story Concern

Type

the area of concern in the Objective Story

The Objective Story Concern describes the kinds of things that everyone in the story is striving to attain. This could be in terms of concrete or abstract things, depending partly on the Objective Story Domain and partly on the twist the author wants to put on that Domain.

Objective Story Consequence

Type

the area that best describes the result of failing to achieve the goal

For every goal there is a consequence. Consequence describes the results of failing to achieve the goal. This predisposes the goal to be something desirable but this is not necessarily true. Sometimes the difference between goal and consequence can be one of choosing the lesser of two evils. More optimistically put, goal and consequence might be measures of magnitude of two favorable outcomes. Sometimes the Consequence will occur if the goal is not met, other times the consequence already exists and can only be eliminated by meeting the goal. So if they are close in their negative or positive value, it may be difficult to be sure which is the consequence and which is the goal. An easy way to be certain is to see which one the protagonist hopes to achieve.

Objective Story Costs

Type

the area that best describes the costs incurred while trying to achieve the goal

Requirements are not always met just by applying effort. Sometimes they involve trade-offs necessitating the acceptance of loss in another area in order to meet the requirement. The damages sustained in the process of meeting the requirement are the Cost of achieving the goal. Cost should not be confused with Consequence. Consequence is a state of things that either exists and will be vanquished by the goal or will come to exist unless the goal is achieved. In contrast, Cost builds over the course of the story all the way to the climax. Sometimes by the end of the story, the consequence of not achieving the goal is far less than the cumulative cost of achieving it. If there is a single large cost to be paid right at the moment of the climax, the Main Character may decide he has paid enough already and determine the goal is just not worth it, electing to stop trying. If there is no large cost at the end, the Main Character may decide to keep on going for an insignificant goal motivated by the thought of how much they already invested. In the words of the songwriter/singer Don McLean, "The more you pay, the more it's worth."

Objective Story Dividends

Type

the area that best describes the dividends accrued while trying to achieve the goal

Although meeting the requirements of a goal can incur costs, it can also provide dividends along the way. Sometimes solving one of the pre-requisites or attaining one of the pre-conditions of the requirement has its own reward. Though these rewards are not individually as significant as the promised reward of the goal, sometimes cumulatively they are enough to cause a Main Character to quit while he's ahead and avoid a particularly large cost that would be unavoidable if the goal were to be achieved. Other times, a particularly large dividend may loom just ahead in the story, providing the Main Character with a boost in motivation to continue on an otherwise costly path.

Objective Story Domain

Class

the portion of a story's argument developed from an Objective Story point of view

There are four principal points of view which must come into play in all complete stories. They are the Objective Story, Main Character, Obstacle Character, and Subjective Story views. In practice, each of the four points of view is like a different camera angle on the same unfolding events. The Objective view of a story is the widest, examining the issues that affect all the characters in the story overall. The Objective view is not unlike that of a general on a hill watching a battle. From that vantage point, the general can observe the larger strategies and see how the forces involved ebb and flow. On the downside, the soldiers cannot be identified as individuals, but only by their functions in the battle as a whole. Similarly, an audience needs to get a sense of the bigger picture - the story-wide view that shows how all of the characters and dramatic forces fit into the grand scheme. From this angle, characters are identified by their dramatic functions, such as Protagonist and Antagonist. The Objective Story, then, is a description of the interactions of the characters and events in a story seen with a wide angle view from the outside looking in. For the audience it provides, scope, context, foundation, and background.

Objective Story Forewarnings

Type

the area that best describes the imminent approach of the story consequences

Whether or not the Consequences ever befall the Main Character, there are Forewarnings that indicate their approach and help force the limit of the story and bring the Main Character to the moment where he can be assessed in terms of his Main Character Resolve. These Forewarnings could be a quick look at a growing crack in the dam which no-one sees, or it could be a mad scientist installing the final component in his doomsday device; however it is represented, its nature will be described by the storytelling of Forewarnings.

Objective Story Goal

Type

the common goal of the overall story characters

A Goal is that which the Protagonist of a story hopes to achieve. As such, it need not be an object. The Goal might be a state of mind or enlightenment; a feeling or attitude, a degree or kind of knowledge, desire or ability. Although it is his chief concern, the Goal which a Protagonist seeks is not necessarily a good thing for him nor is it certainly attainable. Only through the course of the story does the value and accessibility of the Goal clarify. Dramatica points out the nature of Goal that is consistent with an Author's dramatic choices, but it remains for the Author to illustrate that nature. For any given category of Goal, an unlimited number of examples might be created.

Objective Story Inhibitor

Variation

the item that impedes the Objective Story's progress

The Objective Story Inhibitor is what prevents a story from just rushing full speed to the solution. It is like a brake mechanism which can be applied as the author pleases. The introduction of this item will always slow the progress of the story and it works as the antidote to the Objective Story Catalyst.

Objective Story Issue

Variation

the Objective Story's thematic focus

Each of the four Throughlines: Objective Story, Subjective Story, Main Character, and Obstacle Character, have a thematic topic which is described by its Issue. The Objective Story Issue, for example, provides a value standard for judging the Objective Story Characters' efforts in a story. Whatever kinds of things are done by the Objective Story Characters in relation to the Story Goal can be said to be linked thematically by this particular item.

Objective Story Preconditions

Type

the area that best describes the conditions imposed on meeting the story's requirements

When access to resources necessary to meeting pre-requisites is made contingent upon some non-essential accomplishment or limitation, the extra baggage is referred to as Pre-conditions. Depending upon the nature of the Pre-conditions and the nature of a character, it may turn out that although the pre-requisites will achieve the goal, the goal itself is improper and only the Pre-conditions can actually solve the problem. Misplaced emphasis is a common thematic exploration.

Objective Story Prerequisites

Type

the area that best describes what is needed to meet the Story Requirements

Prerequisites are the essential or necessary steps or accomplishments that must be achieved in order for something to occur. If a goal has a single requirement, there may be many prerequisites to achieving that requirement.

Objective Story Problem

Element

the source of the Objective Story's problems

Of all the Elements, there is a single one that describes the essence of the story's problem. The inclusion of this element in an Objective Story Character identifies him as the Main or Obstacle Character. This is because it makes that character the only one who can solve both the Objective and Subjective problems in a single stroke by addressing the problem (changing).

Objective Story Requirements

Type

the area that best describes the requirements that must be met prior to achieving the goal

Achieving a goal is not a one-step activity. Rather, all the cogs and wheels of a situation must be adjusted and realigned first in order to enable the goal. That can entail taking a certain number of steps in sequence and/or involve "tuning" the orchestra of the dramatics until they support the harmony of the goal. Both the sequential and holistic approach to these prerequisites and preconditions are described by the nature of the overall requirement to achieving the goal. In other words, the requirement describes the condition requisite to the goal and is made up of prerequisites and preconditions.

Objective Story Response

Element

the direction of efforts in the Objective Story

Characters do the best they can to deal with the Objective Story Problem, but because the Objective Story Characters of a story are all looking at the problem from their subjective point of view, they can't get enough distance to actually see the problem right away. Instead they focus on the effects of the problem, which is called the Objective Story Symptom, and choose to follow what they feel will be a remedy, which is called the Objective Story Response.

Objective Story Solution

Element

the solution to the Objective Story's problems

The Solution Element is the "flip side" of the Problem Element. In a Change story, for instance, the focus may be on the Problem Element ("The Main Character should not be this way") or the focus may be on the Solution Element ("The Main Character should be this way"). So in a sense the Problem Element is not by itself the cause of the story's problem, but works in conjunction with the Solution Element to create an imbalance between two traits that need to be balanced. The choice to present one as a negative trait defines it as the Problem Element and its positive partner becomes the Solution Element. In Steadfast stories, the Solution Element represents the nature of the things that would resolve the Objective Story Problem. Again it is the "flip side" of the problem, but it has exclusively to do with the Objective Story since the Main Character does not, in these cases, share the same problem as the Objective Story.

Objective Story Symptom

Element

where attention is focused in the Objective Story

When a Main Character is at odds with his surroundings, a problem exists between himself and his environment. The actual nature of this gap between Main Character and environment is described by the Problem Element. The nature of what is required to restore balance is described by the Solution Element. This is the Overall view of the problem. The Main Character, however, is not privy to that view but must work from his personal view instead. From this view, the problem does not appear to be between the Main Character and the Environment, but wholly in one or the other. Sometimes a Main Character is a "Do-er" type and will perceive and first try to solve the problem in the environment. Other times a Main Character is a "Be-er" who will first try to solve the problem by adapting to the environment. A "Do-er" focuses the problem in the environment; a "Be-er" focuses the problem in himself. The Symptom Element describes the nature of how the problem appears to the Main Character when he places it wholly in one area or the other.

Objective Story Throughline

Dramatica Term

the plot as it concerns the story goal

The Objective Story Line is a distinct act by act sequence of events that involves all of the Objective Throughline Story Points and none of the Subjective Throughline Story Points. It represents the dispassionate argument of the story, emphasizing events and relationships in a purely cause and effect way. This is not to say that it has nothing to do with the meaning of a story, only that it is not the WHOLE story. Meaning in stories comes from comparing the Objective view of a story with the Subjective view that comes from within the story.

Objective Story Type Order

Structural Term

the kind of activity employed to arrive at a solution to the Objective Story's problem, act by act

As the Objective Story progresses act by act, it covers the Objective Story Perspective (the Perspective created by matching the Objective Story Domain with one of the four Classes) Type by Type around the quad of Types which it contains. These four explorations make up the four acts and describe the kinds of things that will have to happen in order to arrive face to face with the Objective Story Problem.

Objective Story versus Main Character Perspectives

Dramatica Term

the dramatic potential created by the differential between the Objective Story and Main Character Throughlines

In Dramatica, we can examine a story from the outside as a dispassionate observer, noting the relationship of Character to Plot to theme. We can also examine a story from the inside, by stepping into the shoes of the Main Character to discover how things look to him. In the first case, we see the story like a general watching a battle from atop a hill. We are concerned with the outcome, but not actually involved. This is the Objective Story perspective. In the second case, we see the story from the point of view of a Main Character. This is more like the view of a soldier in the trenches. We are watching the same battle, but this time we are personally involved. This is the Main Character perspective. An audience is provided access to both Objective Story and Main Character views by the author. When the audience is only shown information that the Main Character also receives, it is in the Main Character perspective. When the audience receives additional information that the Main Character does not receive, it is in the Objective perspective. The dramatic potentials of a story are largely created by the differential between the Objective and Main Character perspectives (though the Subjective Story and Obstacle Character perspectives are equally essential in telling a complete Grand Argument Story). At appropriate times, Dramatica aids the author in focusing his attention on the perspective that will most effectively support his dramatic intentions.

accepting a task or situation in exchange for someone's potential favors

Obligation is a mental trick we play when we accept a poor situation now in the hopes it will lead to a better one later. If we do not feel Obligated, we know we are really in control of the situation since we can leave at any time. However, we would then lose any chance of a reward at the end and even risk consequences that might befall us as a result of leaving. But by focusing on the hope of a reward and protection from consequences, our current suffering can be tolerated and we feel we have no choice but to stick it out. The problem is that as long as we continue to feel we have no choice, the suffering can increase way beyond any realistic hope of recouping and yet we "must" stay.

the character that forces the Main Character to face his personal problem

Every Main Character has a single Obstacle Character that forces him to face his personal problems. From the Main Character's point of view, the Obstacle Character may seem to be blocking the road to the solution of the Main Character's personal problem, or he may seem to be trying to knock the Main Character off the road to the solution. In a more objective view, the Obstacle Character functions to block the Main Character from sweeping his personal problem under the carpet, forcing the Main Character to address it directly. In every act, a story problem is introduced that requires the Main Character to expose his personal problem in order to solve the story problem. It is the Obstacle Character that creates the most personal tension for the Main Character. Frequently, the Main Character is chosen by the author to be the Protagonist as well, and often the Obstacle Character function is combined with the Guardian or the Contagonist. In this way, they each do double duty as prime movers of both the Objective and Subjective concerns of the story. This arrangement is not essential, however, and in many cases it is prudent to assign the Main and Obstacle Character roles to characters other than the Protagonist and Guardian/Contagonist in order to clearly explore the relationship between the Objective and Subjective problems of the story.

Obstacle Character Approach

Character Dynamic

the Obstacle Character's preferred method of general problem solving

By temperament, Obstacle Characters (like each of us) have a preferential method of approaching problems. Some would rather work things out externally, others would rather work things out internally. There is nothing intrinsically right or wrong with either approach, yet it does affect how one will respond to problems. Choosing "Do-er" or "Be-er" does not prevent an Obstacle Character from using either approach, but merely defines the way he is likely to first approach a problem, using the other method only if the first one fails.

Obstacle Character Problem Solving Style

Character Dynamic

a determination of the Obstacle Character's mental operating system

Much of what we are as individuals is learned behavior. Yet, the basic operating system of the mind is cast biologically before birth. Talents, intellectual capacity, instincts -- all of these are not learned, but inherited. Among these traits are those specific to females and others specific to males. To be sure, we can go a long way toward balancing out those traits, yet that does not eliminate them nor diminish their impact. In dealing with the psychology of an Obstacle Character, it is essential to understand upon which foundation his experience rests.

Obstacle Character Throughline

Class

the dramatic progression which builds the Obstacle Character's pressure on the Main Character to change

The Obstacle Character is defined by its relationship to the Main Character. The Main Character represents the audience's position in the story which, in a sense, represents our sense of self within our own minds. When we consider changing our outlook in regard to a particular issue, we entertain an alternative viewpoint which we examine thoroughly before either adopting or rejecting. The Obstacle Character represents that alternative point of view. In stories, as in our own minds, this alternative view is seen from where we are positioned currently. After all, when it comes to changing something about who we are, we don't just make that change without first trying to understand what kind of person we would become and trying to anticipate how it might affect our situation. Over the course of the story, as the Main Character grows, the Obstacle Character must keep pace to provide alternative perspectives on all the key experiences the Main Character encounters. In this way, the best possible argument for adopting the new viewpoint is made, and the current and alternative paradigms can be judged fully against each other. This is how we arrive within ourselves to a point of change, and how the Obstacle Character drives the Main Character to the same point. For the author, the Obstacle Character Throughline is the progression through all of the issues which come up while providing alternative perspectives to the Main Character's currently held views. For an audience, the Obstacle Character Throughline simply describes the kinds of activities and concerns addressed by the Obstacle Character as he moves through the plot. The broadest description of the Obstacle Character's impact in a specific story -- Everything that emanates from what the Obstacle Character does and represents which primarily relates to his impact alone, as opposed to specific relationships he has with other characters, can be said to be part of the Obstacle Character Domain. There are four different Domains in the structure of any story, represented by the combination of each of the four Classes with each of the four throughlines the Objective Story Throughline, the Subjective Story Throughline, the Main Character Throughline, and the Obstacle Character Throughline. The Obstacle Character Throughline describes, in the broadest single term, what the Obstacle Character represents and the area in which the Obstacle Character operates within the story.

Obstacle Character’s Benchmark

Type

the standard against which the Obstacle Character's concern is measured

The way of telling how much the Obstacle Character is dealing with the issues at stake for him in the story is by choosing an item in the story and using it as a measuring stick. This can be subtle or obvious, illustrated perhaps by the number of empty beer cans next to an alcoholic's bed, the severity of a facial tick, or the amount of perfume a character puts on. How ever it is illustrated, it needs to be there to give both the audience and the Obstacle Character some way of judging how deep his concern is and how far along in the story he is.

Obstacle Character’s Concern

Type

the area of the Obstacle Character's cares, interests, or goals

The Obstacle Character will be interested in achieving some degree of growth or control over things described by this appreciation. This could be in terms of concrete or abstract things, depending partly on the Obstacle Character's Domain and partly on the twist the author wants to put on that Domain.

Obstacle Character’s Critical Flaw

Variation

the item that undermines the Obstacle Character's efforts

The Obstacle Character's Critical Flaw undermines his effectiveness against the Main Character in general, but especially in regards to his Unique Ability. The Obstacle Character in any story has a Unique Ability which makes him uniquely qualified to thwart the Main Character. But in his character as well is a Critical Flaw which prevents him from just totally overwhelming the Main Character. This is again a trait which is unique to this particular character.

Obstacle Character’s Issue

Variation

the nature of the Obstacle Character's efforts

An Obstacle Character's Issue captures the essence of what that character will represent in the story. The nature of the things he does, intends to do, and effectively means to the passionate argument of the story are all linked in this appreciation.

Obstacle Character’s Problem

Element

the source of the Obstacle Character's drive

In every Obstacle Character there exists some inequity that is driving him. If the Obstacle Character Changes something in himself in response to the Main Character's Steadfastness, it is this item, his Problem, which he changes by exchanging it for his Solution. If the Impact Character is Steadfast, though, then he holds onto his problem, deepening his resolve to keep the same motivations at the end of the story as he had when he began the story.

Obstacle Character’s Response

Element

the direction of the Obstacle Character's efforts

An Obstacle Character can never be sure if what he believes to be the source of his problem really is the source of his problem. Regardless, based on his way of seeing things, he will determine a potential solution or response by which he hopes to find the solution. The dramatic unit that describes what an Obstacle Character believes is the path to a solution is his Response.

Obstacle Character’s Solution

Element

what is needed to truly satisfy the Obstacle Character's motivation

The Solution Element is the "flip side" of the Problem Element. For the Obstacle Character, it is the element that would alleviate the Obstacle Character's drive which his Problem Element supplies. It is not necessarily applied during a story, but it exists in every story nevertheless.

Obstacle Character’s Symptom

Element

where the Obstacle Character's attention is most directed

The Obstacle Character concentrates his attention where he thinks his problem lies. Just as in the Main Character, an inequity exists in the Obstacle Character between himself and his environment which is driving him. The actual nature of this inequity is described by the Obstacle Character Problem Element. The nature of what is required to restore balance is described by the Obstacle Character Solution Element. From the subjective view afforded to the Obstacle Character though, the inequity does not appear to be between himself and the Environment but wholly in one or the other. The Symptom Element describes the nature of how the problem appears to the Obstacle Character from his subjective point of view. Symptom really describes the effects of the Obstacle Character Problem element, but because the Problem element is on the level of his own motivations, Obstacle Characters can never see their actual problems without solving them.

Obstacle Character’s Unique Ability

Variation

the item that makes the Obstacle Character uniquely able to thwart the Main Character

The reason the Obstacle Character is able to carry half of the Subjective Story is his unique suitability to take the opposite position to the Main Character on the Crucial Element of the story. The Obstacle Character Unique Ability gives the Obstacle Character a power which no one else in the story has to be able to affect the Main Character. The nature of this power is what is described by this appreciation.

Obtaining includes not only that which is possessed but also that which is achieved. For example, one might obtain a law degree or the love of a parent. One can also obtain a condition, such as obtaining a smoothly operating political system. Whether it refers to a mental or physical state or process, obtaining describes the concept of attaining.

Openness simply means entertaining alternatives. When a character's pre-conceptions come into conflict with new information, if he is open, he will not be biased or blind to it. He puts openness above holding on to a point of view. Of course, this can easily be carried to extremes, when someone seems to have no opinion at all and just goes with whatever anyone else says. Some degree of pre-conception is necessary to benefit from the value of one's own experience.

The Oppose characteristic causes a character to speak out against any effort, although he does not actively engage in preventing it. As in "the Loyal Opposition," an opposing view can be useful in seeing the negative side of an endeavor. However it can also wear thin really fast with the constant nag, nag, nag.

If not for the story being forced to a climax, it might continue forever. When a story is brought to a conclusion because the characters run out of options, it is said to contain a Optionlock. As an analogy, one might think of a story as the process of examining rooms in a mansion to find a solution to the story's problem. Each room in the mansion will contain a clue to the actual location of the solution. In an optionlock, the Overall Story Characters might be told they can examine any five rooms they want, but only five. They must pick the five rooms ahead of time. They can take as long as they like to search each one and go thoroughly examine four of the rooms. After getting through their fourth pick they are given a choice: based on the clues they have found so far, do they wish to stick with their original fifth room or pick another room instead out of all that remain? Either choice may lead to success or failure, but because running out of options forced the choice it is an Optionlock story. This choice represents the Optionlock which brings the story to a close and forces such appreciations as Main Character Resolve (Change or Steadfast), Outcome (Success or Failure), and Judgment (Good or Bad).

The character containing the Order characteristic is concerned with keeping things organized. Change is not a problem as long as it is orderly. However, sometimes you can't get there from here and the whole system has to be blown apart to rebuild from the ground up. Sometimes a little chaos needs to reign so that a log jam can be broken or a process sped up. The character representing Order is an organization fiend.

When one is creating a story, one must consider how it all comes out. This will not just be a description of the situation but also of what potentials remain and how they have changed over the course of the story. Often, an author may wish to show the Outcome of a dramatic movement at the beginning or middle rather than the end. In this way the audience will focus more on how that eventuality came to be rather than trying to figure out what is going to happen.

Overall Story Benchmark

Type

the standard by which progress is measured in the Overall Story

The Overall Story Benchmark is the gauge that tells people how far along the story has progressed. It can't say how much longer the story may go, but in regards to seeing how far away the goal is, both the Overall Story Characters and the audience will look to the benchmark in order to make any kind of judgment. This Type item describes the nature of the measuring stick which will be used in the story.

Overall Story Catalyst

Variation

the item whose presence always pushes the Overall Story forward

The Overall Story Catalyst is what creates breakthroughs and seems to accelerate the development of the Overall Story. In both the Overall and Main vs. Impact Stories there occur dramatic "log-jams" when things seem to be approaching a halt. This is when the Catalyst is necessary, for its introduction will either solve the puzzle that's holding things up or else make the puzzle seem suddenly unimportant so the story can continue.

Overall Story Concern

Type

the area of concern in the Overall Story

The Overall Story Concern describes the kinds of things that everyone in the story is striving to attain. This could be in terms of concrete or abstract things, depending partly on the Overall Story Domain and partly on the twist the author wants to put on that Domain.

Overall Story Consequence

Type

the area that best describes the result of failing to achieve the goal

For every goal there is a consequence. Consequence describes the results of failing to achieve the goal. This predisposes the goal to be something desirable but this is not necessarily true. Sometimes the difference between goal and consequence can be one of choosing the lesser of two evils. More optimistically put, goal and consequence might be measures of magnitude of two favorable outcomes. Sometimes the Consequence will occur if the goal is not met, other times the consequence already exists and can only be eliminated by meeting the goal. So if they are close in their negative or positive value, it may be difficult to be sure which is the consequence and which is the goal. An easy way to be certain is to see which one the protagonist hopes to achieve.

Overall Story Costs

Type

the area that best describes the costs incurred while trying to achieve the goal

Requirements are not always met just by applying effort. Sometimes they involve trade-offs necessitating the acceptance of loss in another area in order to meet the requirement. The damages sustained in the process of meeting the requirement are the Cost of achieving the goal. Cost should not be confused with Consequence. Consequence is a state of things that either exists and will be vanquished by the goal or will come to exist unless the goal is achieved. In contrast, Cost builds over the course of the story all the way to the climax. Sometimes by the end of the story, the consequence of not achieving the goal is far less than the cumulative cost of achieving it. If there is a single large cost to be paid right at the moment of the climax, the Main Character may decide he has paid enough already and determine the goal is just not worth it, electing to stop trying. If there is no large cost at the end, the Main Character may decide to keep on going for an insignificant goal motivated by the thought of how much they already invested. In the words of the songwriter/singer Don McLean, "The more you pay, the more it's worth."

Overall Story Dividends

Type

the area that best describes the dividends accrued while trying to achieve the goal

Although meeting the requirements of a goal can incur costs, it can also provide dividends along the way. Sometimes solving one of the pre-requisites or attaining one of the pre-conditions of the requirement has its own reward. Though these rewards are not individually as significant as the promised reward of the goal, sometimes cumulatively they are enough to cause a Main Character to quit while he's ahead and avoid a particularly large cost that would be unavoidable if the goal were to be achieved. Other times, a particularly large dividend may loom just ahead in the story, providing the Main Character with a boost in motivation to continue on an otherwise costly path.

Overall Story Domain

Class

the portion of a story's argument developed from an Overall Story point of view

There are four principal points of view which must come into play in all complete stories. They are the Overall Story, Main Character, Impact Character, and Relationship Story views. In practice, each of the four points of view is like a different camera angle on the same unfolding events. The Overall view of a story is the widest, examining the issues that affect all the characters in the story overall. The Overall view is not unlike that of a general on a hill watching a battle. From that vantage point, the general can observe the larger strategies and see how the forces involved ebb and flow. On the downside, the soldiers cannot be identified as individuals, but only by their functions in the battle as a whole. Similarly, an audience needs to get a sense of the bigger picture - the story-wide view that shows how all of the characters and dramatic forces fit into the grand scheme. From this angle, characters are identified by their dramatic functions, such as Protagonist and Antagonist. The Overall Story, then, is a description of the interactions of the characters and events in a story seen with a wide angle view from the outside looking in. For the audience it provides, scope, context, foundation, and background.

Overall Story Forewarnings

Type

the area that best describes the imminent approach of the story consequences

Whether or not the Consequences ever befall the Main Character, there are Forewarnings that indicate their approach and help force the limit of the story and bring the Main Character to the moment where he can be assessed in terms of his Main Character Resolve. These Forewarnings could be a quick look at a growing crack in the dam which no-one sees, or it could be a mad scientist installing the final component in his doomsday device; however it is represented, its nature will be described by the storytelling of Forewarnings.

Overall Story Goal

Type

the common goal of the overall story characters

A Goal is that which the Protagonist of a story hopes to achieve. As such, it need not be an object. The Goal might be a state of mind or enlightenment; a feeling or attitude, a degree or kind of knowledge, desire or ability. Although it is his chief concern, the Goal which a Protagonist seeks is not necessarily a good thing for him nor is it certainly attainable. Only through the course of the story does the value and accessibility of the Goal clarify. Dramatica points out the nature of Goal that is consistent with an Author's dramatic choices, but it remains for the Author to illustrate that nature. For any given category of Goal, an unlimited number of examples might be created.

Overall Story Inhibitor

Variation

the item that impedes the Overall Story's progress

The Overall Story Inhibitor is what prevents a story from just rushing full speed to the solution. It is like a brake mechanism which can be applied as the author pleases. The introduction of this item will always slow the progress of the story and it works as the antidote to the Overall Story Catalyst.

Overall Story Issue

Variation

the Overall Story's thematic focus

Each of the four Throughlines: Overall Story, Relationshp Story, Main Character, and Impact Character, have a thematic topic which is described by its Issue. The Overall Story Issue, for example, provides a value standard for judging the Overall Story Characters' efforts in a story. Whatever kinds of things are done by the Overall Story Characters in relation to the Story Goal can be said to be linked thematically by this particular item.

Overall Story Preconditions

Type

the area that best describes the conditions imposed on meeting the story's requirements

When access to resources necessary to meeting pre-requisites is made contingent upon some non-essential accomplishment or limitation, the extra baggage is referred to as Pre-conditions. Depending upon the nature of the Pre-conditions and the nature of a character, it may turn out that although the pre-requisites will achieve the goal, the goal itself is improper and only the Pre-conditions can actually solve the problem. Misplaced emphasis is a common thematic exploration.

Overall Story Prerequisites

Type

the area that best describes what is needed to meet the Story Requirements

Prerequisites are the essential or necessary steps or accomplishments that must be achieved in order for something to occur. If a goal has a single requirement, there may be many prerequisites to achieving that requirement.

Overall Story Problem

Element

the source of the Overall Story's problems

Of all the Elements, there is a single one that describes the essence of the story's problem. The inclusion of this element in an Overall Story Character identifies him as the Main or Impact Character. This is because it makes that character the only one who can solve both the Overall and Relationship problems in a single stroke by addressing the problem (changing).

Overall Story Requirements

Type

the area that best describes the requirements that must be met prior to achieving the goal

Achieving a goal is not a one-step activity. Rather, all the cogs and wheels of a situation must be adjusted and realigned first in order to enable the goal. That can entail taking a certain number of steps in sequence and/or involve "tuning" the orchestra of the dramatics until they support the harmony of the goal. Both the sequential and holistic approach to these prerequisites and preconditions are described by the nature of the overall requirement to achieving the goal. In other words, the requirement describes the condition requisite to the goal and is made up of prerequisites and preconditions.

Overall Story Response

Element

the direction of efforts in the Overall Story

Characters do the best they can to deal with the Overall Story Problem, but because the Overall Story Characters of a story are all looking at the problem from their subjective point of view, they can't get enough distance to actually see the problem right away. Instead they focus on the effects of the problem, which is called the Overall Story Symptom, and choose to follow what they feel will be a remedy, which is called the Overall Story Response.

Overall Story Solution

Element

the solution to the Overall Story's problems

The Solution Element is the "flip side" of the Problem Element. In a Change story, for instance, the focus may be on the Problem Element ("The Main Character should not be this way") or the focus may be on the Solution Element ("The Main Character should be this way"). So in a sense the Problem Element is not by itself the cause of the story's problem, but works in conjunction with the Solution Element to create an imbalance between two traits that need to be balanced. The choice to present one as a negative trait defines it as the Problem Element and its positive partner becomes the Solution Element. In Steadfast stories, the Solution Element represents the nature of the things that would resolve the Overall Story Problem. Again it is the "flip side" of the problem, but it has exclusively to do with the Overall Story since the Main Character does not, in these cases, share the same problem as the Overall Story.

Overall Story Symptom

Element

where attention is focused in the Overall Story

When a Main Character is at odds with his surroundings, a problem exists between himself and his environment. The actual nature of this gap between Main Character and environment is described by the Problem Element. The nature of what is required to restore balance is described by the Solution Element. This is the Overall view of the problem. The Main Character, however, is not privy to that view but must work from his personal view instead. From this view, the problem does not appear to be between the Main Character and the Environment, but wholly in one or the other. Sometimes a Main Character is a "Do-er" type and will perceive and first try to solve the problem in the environment. Other times a Main Character is a "Be-er" who will first try to solve the problem by adapting to the environment. A "Do-er" focuses the problem in the environment; a "Be-er" focuses the problem in himself. The Symptom Element describes the nature of how the problem appears to the Main Character when he places it wholly in one area or the other.

Overall Story Throughline

Dramatica Term

the plot as it concerns the story goal

The Overall Story Line is a distinct act by act sequence of events that involves all of the Overall Throughline Story Points and none of the Relationship Throughline Story Points. It represents the dispassionate argument of the story, emphasizing events and relationships in a purely cause and effect way. This is not to say that it has nothing to do with the meaning of a story, only that it is not the WHOLE story. Meaning in stories comes from comparing the Objective view of a story with the Subjective view that comes from within the story.

Overall Story Type Order

Structural Term

the kind of activity employed to arrive at a solution to the Overall Story's problem, act by act

As the Overall Story progresses act by act, it covers the Overall Story Perspective (the Perspective created by matching the Overall Story Domain with one of the four Classes) Type by Type around the quad of Types which it contains. These four explorations make up the four acts and describe the kinds of things that will have to happen in order to arrive face to face with the Overall Story Problem.

Overall Story versus Main Character Perspectives

Dramatica Term

the dramatic potential created by the differential between the Overall Story and Main Character Throughlines

In Dramatica, we can examine a story from the outside as a dispassionate observer, noting the relationship of Character to Plot to theme. We can also examine a story from the inside, by stepping into the shoes of the Main Character to discover how things look to him. In the first case, we see the story like a general watching a battle from atop a hill. We are concerned with the outcome, but not actually involved. This is the Overall Story perspective. In the second case, we see the story from the point of view of a Main Character. This is more like the view of a soldier in the trenches. We are watching the same battle, but this time we are personally involved. This is the Main Character perspective. An audience is provided access to both Overall Story and Main Character views by the author. When the audience is only shown information that the Main Character also receives, it is in the Main Character perspective. When the audience receives additional information that the Main Character does not receive, it is in the Overall perspective. The dramatic potentials of a story are largely created by the differential between the Overall and Main Character perspectives (though the Relationship Story and Impact Character perspectives are equally essential in telling a complete Grand Argument Story). At appropriate times, Dramatica aids the author in focusing his attention on the perspective that will most effectively support his dramatic intentions.

Overview Appreciations

Overview Appreciation

story points relating to the widest appreciation of an entire story

Story points items relating to the widest appreciation of your entire story, including the Character and Plot Dynamics which describe its dramatic mechanism and basic feel are called Overview Appreciations. For example, Essence, Nature, Reach, Apparent or Actual Dilemma stories, etc.

Dictionary

Getting to know Dramatica's terminology is not easy! The reason it is hard is that our language tends to create lots of words to deal with common concepts, and hardly any to deal with less up front notions. In the areas in which our culture does not focus, there are few (and sometimes no existing) words to do the job. Yet, for a story to be complete, ALL essential considerations need to be addressed to prevent holes.